Material characterization and process optimization of dye-sensitized solar cell sealant

Large-scaled dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) modules are recently developed for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications. In the modules, two glasses with electrodes and dye are sealed together to prevent the leakage of liquid electrolyte. It is known that DSC modules deteriorate rapidly under high temperature conditions. Previous studies showed that expansion of liquid electrolyte in the module is the main reason for the degradation; the expansion of electrolyte induces the breakage of sealant material of DSC module in high temperature. This study investigates how the sealant curing process affects the integrity of DSC module in high temperature. Sealant samples are made up by several UV curing times. Shadow moiré technique is used to measure the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the sealant samples. With the test results, finite element analyses are conducted to optimize the curing process time. It is finally suggested that the longer the curing time, the more robust the DSC module.